ARC Review: Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Breath of Fire is a sequel to A Promise of Fire and it picks off right where it's predecessor left off. It had been so long since I read Promise, that I was a little lost at first trying to remember who side character were and such. Once I reacquainted with the story and characters though, it flowed pretty well. Because of this initial confusion however, I would say it would be best to read A Promise of Fire before trying this one out. The author didn't seem to do a very good job of catching a new reader up to date.

Honestly, the first few chapters were random in my opinion. They do not progress the plot in any fashion. It was mostly just an argument and then serious make up sex. I don't mind too much sex in my stories, but this out did my level of comfort so I skimmed quite a bit of it. I know though, that there are a lot of readers out there who would have loved it, so I just pressed on afterwards. 

After the first four chapters, the story actually begins in my opinion. The royals determine their next move to unite the three kingdoms, and go about getting started. I did start to enjoy the book at this point. I got a little drawn back the same as the last book with the characters' language. It just sounded to modern for an ancient Greek setting. 

Sadly, though, I came across a near rape scene. It was not done badly in any way, I want to make sure that's put out there. But for me, I can't take it. I've stopped many books because of this. I'm sure they might have all been great books, too, but I just can't get past it. I tried to read another chapter, but I just kept remembering my fear for Cat, and I would get nauseous all over again. 

This book might be great for the right reader. I stopped at chapter 10, about 25%. I wish I was better at handling that type of scene. Again, I felt the author handled that situation tastefully, and it wasn't too much. I just personally couldn't stomach. it.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

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